SAVE LAMU GIVES COAL UPDATES TO COMMUNITIES; AND THE WITHDRAWAL OF AfDB FROM FINANCING THE PROJECT

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Save Lamu took it to the grounds in the Eastern side of Lamu, in different villages in Pate Island including, Mtangawanda, Bori, Pate, Siu, Shanga rubu and Shanga Ishakani,  Kizingitini and Mbwajumwali to update the community on the delivered judgment on coal by the National Environmental Tribunal NET in Nairobi whereby, the case was ruled in favor of the community to stop the coal plant, however, the opponent went on and filed a petition in challenging the court verdict that was recently delivered.

Save Lamu saw the need of visiting the mentioned areas to update the communities on the recent judgment of the coal power plant. The coal plant idea was first introduced in Lamu early 2015, At the beginning; a big percentage of residence in Lamu County welcomed the coal plant idea with the positive thoughts of creating job opportunities to the locals and the many youths and families who spend barely a dollar in the day to day livelihood income, Save Lamu through partnerships and consultations decided to do a research, in wanting to know more about the coal power plant, because neither Kenya nor East African Countries have coal plants, so introducing it to East Africa is totally a new thing to Lamu.

It later came to our attention that many Countries that were using coal power plants are now turning away from it, because of the environmental, social, and health impacts that are caused as a result of having coal plants operating in different regions of the planet. additionally, African Development Bank pulled out from financing the Lamu coal plant and has no plans to finance new coal plants in the future, the announcement came through the AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina after a board meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on the 31st of October 2019.

After doing so much research on coal, Save Lamu saw the need to visit India and South Africa which one of the leading countries with the biggest percentage of coal plants operating, after witnessing the effects caused by the coal projects, including the number of people infected with chest problems (Tuberculosis, Asthma) has increased per annum, The agricultural production dropping with a big margin was not something that we will like to have it in our home Countries.

Lamu County is one of the oldest Swahili towns in East Africa which has preserved its culture from the old Swahili houses, the Food, mode of dressing and not forgetting the lifestyle including different activities carried out in that region by men and women.

Men are known to be doing activities such as fishing and farming, while women mostly concentrate in knitting traditional Swahili hats, henna painting, hairdressing as a way of generating income, however in The villages of Shanga Ishakani and Shanga Rubu in Lamu East constituency at the far end, women are not only fishmongers, nor does henna painting only, they also engage in doing fishing activities by going to the near waters.

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Women in Shanga are urging the government to consider other alternative sources of generating power other than the coal power plant that will bring a lot of environmental destructions “We as women from Shanga, go the sea and do fishing, we depend on it as a livelihood, our children get humble life through the fishing we do, the idea of having coal plant should be taken away completely” Said Amina, chairlady for Shanga Ishakani women group

In every aspect, there is a situation and in every situation, there are many challenges which lie underneath, and some of the challenges faced by Shanga residents In Lamu east constituency includes luck of fishing equipment’s which enables them to do proper fishing, cold stores and marketing which enables them to sell fish both locally and National and aim internationally. A few years back, Save Lamu went to court against LAPSSET to get justice for Lamu fishermen, and through the unending court proceedings, finally, the court ruled that Lamu fishermen be given Kshs. 1.76bn as compensation.

However it is 4 years down the line, and Lamu fishermen have still not received their compensation, to cater for the losses incurred, since fishermen can no longer go fishing on the deep sea due to lack of equipment’s, Initially fishermen used to go fishing at the port area site where fish were found in plenty.

Since the construction of the Lamu port, statistics shows that fish production has deteriorated from what it used to produce, compared to now, leaving many fishers in a puzzle and some engaging on partly farming to cater for their day to day lives.

Story: Khadija Juma| Save Lamu